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NEW FLEXIBLE LEARNING SPACES ENCOURAGE GROUP COLLABORATION

Several new flexible learning spaces at City University London are equipped with NEC installation projectors and large format displays. The bright modern learning environment is designed to encourage group collaboration and enable staff greater flexibility in the delivery of teaching. Using a less didactic style of teaching and adopting new technologies to enhance the student learning experience is shaping the way universities are attracting students who demand more from their tuition fees.

City University London is committed to providing academic excellence for business and the professions - an attractive proposition as today’s fee-paying students seek universities offering academic reputation and employability. With a global outreach, City’s Strategic Plan anticipates the University ranked within the top 2 % of universities in the world by 2016.

'For this position to be viable we must continue to listen very carefully to our students and enhance student life and student satisfaction through relevant curricula, stimulating learning environments and the use of cutting-edge educational technologies.' The City Vision 2016.

The Challenge

In order to shape the future and attract and develop the most promising students, City University London must offer a compelling student proposition as identified in The City Vision. Within the City Vision framework, an Estates redevelopment project sought to reinvigorate underutilised space within the campus to create new learning spaces which encourage interaction for a more modern approach to learning which appeals to today’s students.

The second phase of a three phase redevelopment project has resulted in the regeneration of the basement in one of the main campus buildings at Northampton Square. Seven new centrally managed teaching spaces are now available for use by all students and staff including three lecture theatres with flexible seating, a computer lab and several smaller rooms with re-configurable furniture.

The NEC Solution

All rooms have been equipped with either single or dual NEC installation projectors projecting onto separate screens. ‘We use NEC display products as standard across the University either for our signage screens, repeaters or for classroom projectors,’ explains Mike Sadler, AV Services Infrastructure Coordinator at City University London. ‘We chose these installation models because of their suitability in creating an image big and bright enough for each space’. The AV Services team, in planning and leading the redevelopment programme, were not prepared to compromise on selecting the best solution to create their vision; whereby image quality, brightness and high resolution capability were key criteria. The NEC installation projector, delivering Full HD resolution capability, offers City University London a future upgrade path as hardware in the lecterns are, in turn, upgraded.

In addition, in three of the rooms, two NEC 46” V463 large format displays are used as repeaters. With LED backlight technology these displays deliver exceptional colour uniformity and low power consumption. Displaying content in Full HD and high brightness, projected content is repeated on the two displays.

'I am delighted by the fulfillment of our vision, the in-house AV Services team worked hard in the specification and implementation of the redevelopment and we were ably supported by both Reflex and NEC,’ says Mike. ‘The install was completed ahead of schedule with only minor snags and the NEC equipment was a breeze to integrate and configure.'

The Result

'The AV installation complements what is a first for the University in terms of a newly created space which promotes a new approach to teaching, encouraging group collaboration within lectures and a move away from the traditional didactic style of teaching,' explains Mike. 'The students now have a bright, new and welcoming environment in which to be taught and it has provided staff with the flexibility to alter the way they deliver their teaching.'

The University plans to replicate the success of the regeneration of the basement area in future redevelopment projects as they continue to enhance student life and provide the facilities which complement today’s collaborative teaching and learning methods. Phase three is already in progress and will see an additional nine NEC installation projectors in seven new teaching rooms.